Consequences
by baby8love
Summary: G/C - spoilers from Play With Fire - NOW COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimers: Not mine

Spoilers: Play With Fire

**+++++**

**CONSEQUENCES – (Chapter 1)**

"Without the people, there is no lab." Grissom looked at Robert pointedly before rushing out the door. He wasn't about to waste another second arguing with the head of the lab over something he knew they disagreed on, especially since he had a friend to hurry after. He could still smell the leftover odour from the explosion as he wove his way through the busy hallway. Spotting Nick coming out of the conference room, he decided to save some time by asking if others had seen where Catherine had gone, "Nick!"  
  
Nick looked up from the file he was reading, "Yeah Griss?"  
  
"Have you seen Catherine?"  
  
"Uh...no..." The younger CSI reluctantly answered.  
  
Sensing the hesitance, Grissom frowned, "Nick, is something wrong?"  
  
"I talked to Warrick."  
  
"About the explosion?"  
  
"Yeah, it's...it's not like Catherine to slip up like this. Is she alright?"  
  
Grissom paused for a second before shaking his head, "I don't know." He was about to head off to continue his search but remembered something, "Nick?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk about this with anyone else. They'll find out when they need to. I don't want useless rumours floating around, especially not right now."  
  
"Wouldn't have talked even if you didn't tell me not to. If you find Catherine, make sure she's alright?"  
  
Grissom nodded and headed to the one place he knew Catherine might be. He was glad Catherine's habits were almost as predictable as his when he found her where he thought she would be - the roof. He slowly approached her, not wanting to scare her or cause her anymore aggravation. "Catherine?"  
  
Without turning around, she answered, "I just wanna be alone for a bit, Grissom."  
  
"Haven't you been alone for long enough?" He stepped up so that he was by her side now, "It's because you keep insisting on being alone and doing things on your own that..." He trailed off when she shot him a glare. "Catherine, you're not superwoman."

  
Shaking her head, a bitter laugh escaped her lips, "I thought I could do it. I thought I could juggle work and home and everything else life might throw at me. I convinced myself that there was nothing to it." She closed her eyes, not wanting to acknowledge the tears in them, "I just wish I didn't have to learn the truth the hard way."  
  
"Everyone makes mistakes. You've been dealing with a lot of things in your life lately..."  
  
"That doesn't make me feel any better." She opened her eyes and looked at him, "Greg and Sara and everyone else could've been killed."  
  
"They weren't."

"Yeah? Tell that to Greg. He's lying in a hospital bed with serious burns to his back! He wouldn't be there if it wasn't for me."  
  
"You need time off. You need to get away from work. You need to go home and get some rest. Spend some time with Lindsey."  
  
Again, she laughed bitterly, "You know, I wish I could..."

"What do you mean?"  
  
"Lindsey doesn't want to spend time with her mother who couldn't even bring her father's killer to justice."  
  
"That's not true..."  
  
"Grissom, a lot of things have changed in my life since Eddie's death."  
  
"Then why couldn't you just tell me that?"  
  
"Well what do you expect me to do? Come crying to you everytime Lindsey gets into a fight at school? Call you up in the middle of the night when I think I can't deal with everything anymore?"  
  
"Yes." Grissom answered calmly.  
  
"You know, if you weren't such a hypocrite, I'd actually be touched."  
  
"What?"  
  
"When I'm in trouble, you want me to come to you for help. You want me to talk to you, to share with you my problems. And yet when you're in trouble, you don't come to me for help. You don't talk to me or share with me your problems. So what does that mean?"  
  
"That's different."  
  
"Of course it is! It always is!"  
  
"Catherine, please..." Grissom reached out for her, trying to show her he wasn't trying to push her away.  
  
"You know what? Whatever!" Catherine pulled away and held up both hands in a defensive stance, "I'm not even supposed to be here anymore. I'll see you in a week."  
  
Grissom watched with a broken heart as Catherine stormed away from him and out of the lab to start her 5-day suspension. Though heartbroken, he wasn't entirely helpless. He began having an idea as to what it was he had to do now...

_*To Be Continued*_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimers: Not mine

Spoilers: Play With Fire

**+++++**

**CONSEQUENCES – (Chapter 2)**

"Sara, I don't know what to do with this." Grissom gestured at the space between them, hoping Sara would understand him.  
  
"I do. And when you realize it, it may be too late..." Sara gave him one last look before she walked away.  
  
Grissom watched her figure disappear down the hallway and into the elevator. He turned off his office light and shut the door, wanting nothing more than to go home and hope for a better, brighter day tomorrow. But there was something he had to do. Someone he had to talk to.  
  
He arrived on Catherine's doorstep in less than 15 minutes. He wasn't sure if he had sped any red lights. His trip here had been taken in a daze. Reaching into his pocket, he felt for the business card and when he felt the stiff paper there, he used his other hand to ring the doorbell. He knew Catherine was going to have his head for being there without a warning. After what seemed like an eternity, the door swung open to reveal a predictably angry Catherine, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I needed to see you about something." He was able to answer calmly, having already expected her outburst. "Can I come in?"  
  
She looked at him for a moment like she was ready to strangle him but then stepped aside to let him in, "This better be good..." She muttered as she followed him into the living room, "So?"  
  
"I don't want to be a hypocrite."  
  
"What?" She shook her head in frustration, too tired to remember her earlier conversation with him.  
  
"What you said to me earlier? You said I was a hypocrite for wanting you to talk to me but then not talking to you when you asked me to." She stayed silent, obviously remembering what he was talking about now. He continued, "So I'm here to talk, if you're willing to listen."  
  
"Well, I've got 5 days of a whole lot of nothing. So take your time." She shrugged.  
  
Though her tone was sarcastic, Grissom knew she was sincere in wanting to listen. "Catherine, I told you about my mother, right? About her hearing?"  
  
"You have it too, don't you?" Catherine asked without missing a beat. She had suspected for so long but had waited for Grissom to start the conversation first. But he never did so she never asked.  
  
Grissom wasn't surprised by her knowledge. A part of him had waited for her to ask him about it but when she never did, he never knew how to tell her. "It's called otosclerosis. I've always known there was a possibility I might get it but actually knowing I have it is a completely different feeling."  
  
"You've known for a long time, haven't you?"  
  
"Almost a year." When she only nodded, he asked cautiously, "Are you mad?"  
  
She looked at him and shook her head, "No. You had your reasons for not telling me."  
  
"I was afraid."  
  
"Are you not anymore?"  
  
"Still terrified."  
  
"Then what made you come here tonight to tell me this?"  
  
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the business card with his doctor's contact information on it. He handed it to her, "She told me I had 2 options. Either sit it out and wait for my hearing to go, or I have surgery done."  
  
"And you're planning on getting the surgery?"  
  
"I don't think I have a choice."  
  
"What happens afterwards?"  
  
"There's no guarantees."  
  
"But you have nothing to lose."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"It's going to be ok."  
  
He smiled a little, "That's why I came here tonight. I needed to hear that."  
  
"I'm serious, Grissom, it's going to be ok. No matter what happens..."  
  
"Catherine, Sara asked me out tonight." He blurted out, stunning her into silence. When she said nothing, he looked at her, "Cath? Are you ok?"  
  
"Sara asked you out? What did you say?"  
  
"What do you think I said? I'm here, aren't I?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Why what?"  
  
"Why did you come here and not go out with her?"  
  
"I wasn't sure at first."  
  
"But now...?"  
  
"I think it's pretty obvious what I want...who I want in me being here and not somewhere else with her."  
  
"Grissom, you need to take a step back and breathe. You're doing too many things at a time..."  
  
"Catherine, I know what I'm doing. I came here to tell you about my hearing but I also came here to tell you need you. I can't do this or anything else without you."

  
"You know what this means, right? Things at work, things away from work...everything's going to change."  
  
"I know." He nodded confidently, "And I'm ok with that."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"I've never been more sure in my life. Catherine, Sara said something to me tonight that woke me up. She said that when I realized what I wanted, it may be too late. I don't want to realize who's truly important to me when it's too late. I realize that now and I'm not letting you go."  
  
"Lindsey's gonna have a fit..."  
  
"Then let her. We'll deal with this together."  
  
"I think that explosion knocked you silly."  
  
Grissom grinned, "If anything, I think that explosion knocked some sense into me."  
  
"So that's it? We're doing this? No taking back your words?"  
  
He shook his head, "No taking back my words. I've said them, I mean them, and I'm ready for the consequences."

_*THE END*_


End file.
